Hello

The cutest thing happened. Isa learned how to wave hello. I'd like to think it was her little anniversary gift to us. She had been sort of opening and closing her hands in the weeks preceeding but this was more purposeful. Everytime she saw the waiter she would wave. If her daddy waved to her she would wave. Just the other day I caught her going through the diaper bag and when we exchanged eye contact she waved as if to say "Hi mom I'm alright here, don't worry about me." It was too cute not to film it the first time she did it during our anniversary dinner.

Marley and Me

I was talking to one of my coworkers last week about my troubles with Bailey. Ever since I had Isa my patience for him has been short and my irritation of him larger. (It doesn't help that he has been having more accidents lately and that some of his other annoying habits have never gone away.) She said this happens sometimes to mothers and assured me that it would go away. Meanwhile she suggested that I read "Marley and Me." I had been wanting to read it anyway since I heard it was going to be made into a movie. I was also secretly hoping that I would gain my appreciation back for Bailey. I'm only on page 40 since I've only been able to get to it when I read it out loud to Isa. I cracked up when I reached this part of the book. It might as well as had Bailey written all over it:
"...whenever someone rang the bell, he would streak across the house, going into a full skid as he approached the foyer, careening across the wood floors, tossing up the throw rugs as he slid and not stopping until he crashed into the door with a loud thud. He then would hop up on his hind legs, yelping wildly, his big head filling the tiny window to stare straight into the face of whoever was on the other side...it was as if Cujo had just jumped out of the Stephen King novel and the only thing that stood between them and a merciless mauling was our wooden door."

Happy Anniversary

I can't believe it's been 8 years already or 19 years if you count from when I first started seeing Erick in high school. He's been saying that he has been with me for over half his life. It seems a little ominous when you think about it that way. It seems like only yesterday when he was writing all over my arm in PreCal class or when he wrote me a note asking if I would go out with him (Check Yes, No, or maybe). I guess it's true what they say " Time flies when you are having fun." Of course over the years the marriage has taken a different flavor. Like wine they say, it gets better with time. Of course we have our squabbles from time to time but that is all a part of it. I feel really blessed to have found my soulmate so early in life. Especially someone who tries to be a devoted and caring husband and father.
We decided to celebrate really simple this year. No extravagant gifts or trips halfway around the world. A lot of it had to do with Isa but I think now that our life has changed so much we just preferred to have it a little quieter this year. Erick took Isa and I out to Downtown Disney where we shopped for Pixar toys and had Isa ride the carousel AGAIN :)Check out her cute little legs standing on her own!
We then had a really light lunch at the Fulton's Crabhouse (do not recommend going there unless you want to feel robbed) then a wonderful dinner at Fishbones at Lake Mary (highly recommend it.) I had a delicious seafood bouillabaisse. Yum! Our waiter topped off our special evening with a slice of sinful chocolate cake soaked in Grand Marnier. He even decorated it with "Happy 8th Anniversary." How sweet was that?

Beautiful Girl

One of our favorite pastimes with Isa is dancing. I think we do it so often now with certain songs that as soon as she hears the music play a smile comes across her face. She loves dancing to "Itsy Bitsy Spider" from the CD Dreamtime Lullabies redone beautifully in guitar strings by Carlos Villalobos. She also loves it when I dance with her to the modern version "No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed" which is completely digitally rocked out and sounds like something that could be used for a cardio workout. She seems to love it when I start doing the "grapevine" move while I'm carrying her. She seems to anticipate certain parts of the music where the tempo picks up and our rhythm changes. At these parts she starts smiling as if she knows what will follow. We've just started to notice her swaying or bouncing to the music on her own. I hope she gains an appreciation for all different kinds of music like her father does. I know he will appreciate this if she does. I recently recorded the two dancing to the song "Beautiful Girl." (I wish that I did not have to compress it so much but I could not upload it to You Tube otherwise.) I hope she inherits her dad's rhythm as well. When he was younger he really impressed me with how he dance. I still remember the dance off he had with Claire Santos when I attended Eunice's birthday party back in highschool. He will probably blush when he sees that I have made mention of this. I know that when Isa gets older he will teach her a thing or two, hopefully.